Health Services - Melissa Newton

Dear Parent/Guardian,

My name is Melissa Newton and I am the school nurse for the Alternative Education Center. I have been a Registered Nurse since 2003 and received my National Certification for School Nurses in 2017. I have been employed as a school nurse for McDowell County Schools since 2014 and consider it an honor and privilege to provide medical care to our students.

Besides providing traditional nursing care, I will also be providing some health screenings throughout the school year. You will find more information regarding those items below:

Dental: Identified dental problems will be screened by the school nurse as needed and referrals/parent contact will be made when appropriate.

Vision: Screenings will be provided by the school nurse on all 7th grade students, as well as any student that has been referred by a teacher or parent. Parents will receive notification if their child does not pass the screening.

It is very important that I am made aware of any medical condition that your child has that may require emergency care and/or medication at school. It is also important that you are aware of the school policy for administering medications at school, as well as the policy regarding when your child can return to school after they have had a contagious illness. Please see the student handbook or the McDowell County Schools web page for more information regarding policies.

We are privileged at AEC to have the telemedicine service available to our students and staff. Telemedicine, also referred to as the Health-e-Schools program, is a service in which the staff/students can make an appointment via the school nurse and be seen by a healthcare provider during the school day without having to leave campus! Please be sure that your student is enrolled so that they can take advantage of this program if needed. Extra enrollment forms are available in the nurse's office or you can download them from home from the link on the right side of this page.

Please feel free to call me or come by the school if you have any questions or concerns about your child's health. I am available on AEC campus on Mondays and Tuesdays from 7:40 am- 3:10 pm. I look forward to a healthy school year!